The One Who is Not Yet Friends with the Pit
by WhiteDresses
Summary: Leslie Knope makes her best effort to convince her boss, Ron Swanson, to go see the pit that she hopes to turn into a park.


**Title: **The One Who is Not Yet Friends with the Sullivan Street Pit  
**Author: **Lissa  
**Rating: **PG (for safety)  
**Character(s):** Ron, Leslie  
**Spoilers:** Through 'Boys' Club'  
**Summary:** Leslie Knope makes her best effort to convince her boss, Ron Swanson, to go see the pit that she hopes to turn into a park.  
**Author's Note: **For firthgal.I'm pretty happy with the ficlet I came up with, so I hope you'll enjoy it too =) Title is in reference to the webpage April set up for the Pit in "Boys' Club". It's not really so much Ron/Leslie so much as it is focused around Ron and Leslie (if that makes sense? No... haha)

Enjoy!

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"So... are you coming out to see the pit today, Ron?"

Leslie Knope stood beaming beside his office door, her wide smile slightly betraying her sanity.

Ron Swanson wasn't blind to her optimism; you couldn't be if you were human. It shined out from her like a beacon in the midst of the stolid government body. But that did not mean that Ron Swanson was in any way obliged to share in her enthusiasm.

"I'll come see it the minute that thing has been turned into a park..." was all that he could promise her, not meeting her eye.

But rather than satisfying her or effectively turning her away, it only made Leslie step further into the office, her voice becoming somehow more urgent and persistent.

"No, _Ron_. You don't understand. You have to actually _see_ the pit in order to get a good grasp on the blatant _need_ to turn it into a safe and beautiful park. You haven't realized what all my sub-committee has been dealing with until you've... visited the bottom of the pit for yourself."

Ron sighed, already long tired of the idea.

"I'll pass," he told her. Her face fell immediately.

"Why?!" She sounded frantic now; slightly desperate.

"Look, it's not that I wouldn't like to see this pit," he lied gruffly, indulging her just a little bit, "but I don't have time to just up and go. I have... I have things to do."

"Like what?" She pressed. She was acting like a little kid. Or an annoying younger sister. Or both. And as she prattled on with pleas and persuasive plans to try to convince him to go, he began to tune her out, trying to get interested with something else in his office. He didn't succeed.

"I'm not the one you need to impress, here, Leslie. You have the entire city of Pawnee to convince, yet." Leslie snapped her fingers and her large smile was back again as her mouth gaped open in wild discovery. Ron didn't even need to see a lightbulb appear above her head. It practically lit up on her face as she reacted.

"Ooh, good idea, Ron! Maybe I should take some of the public out to the pit on a sort of... field trip. Oh! Or, or-- we could hold the next meeting at the pit!"

"Yes, if we're lucky enough to have another one." Leslie's face and spirits seemed to fall again and Ron felt slightly guilty. She threw up her arms in slight exasperation.

"You're my boss, Ron... don't you want to know what I'm up to? For all you know at this point there might _be_ no pit."

"I've seen pictures of the pit, Leslie," he assured her without missing a beat, "I know it's real. I've seen pictures of you _in_ the pit."

"Photoshop!" Leslie exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "What if I told you that... April was an expert at Photoshop?!"

"Leslie."

"I'm serious, Ron!" She plopped herself down onto the chair in front of him. "Please come see the pit?"

Ron sighed loudly. "No."

To his surprise, Leslie didn't keep badgering him. She remained silent, staring down the shotgun on his desk before looking over at him with disappointed eyes. She returned the heavy sigh, perhaps melodramatically. Ron almost rolled his eyes as he began to look through one of the stacks of papers on his desk. But dammit, it really wasn't fair when she did that. And something inside of him felt that making a tiny, vague promise over something as simple as going to see a pit really wouldn't be too risky or damaging. After all, he knew very well that she wouldn't be likely to leave... until he obliged.

He glanced back up at her slowly, his hands still flipping through a few papers from a file. And yes, with another sigh, he did reluctantly give in.

"Maybe I'll visit it a little later, Leslie."

She instantly perked up. "Later? Like, in-the-near-future later? ... Later? _Soon_ later?"

He nodded, refusing to make eye contact with her again. What more could she guilt him into agreeing to?

"Sooner than later!" She decided. "Oh, I can't wait to show you, Ron! You won't regret it-- I think you'll really like the pit."

"Great," he replied, no longer _really_ listening as she continued to thank him, heading for the door. He followed her, making sure she would actually leave. "We'll figure out when I'll go later. No, I'm not going tomorrow. Leslie."

She was smiling largely again, her eyes happy and bright as she walked through the door. But not before saying, "Bye Ron," as though she wouldn't be returning within an hour or so with some new request for him.

And he would have returned the goodbye, he really would have, but she was already out of sight.

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Thank you very much for reading! Reviews are loved whether good (whoo!) or bad (so long as they have constructive criticism).


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